A growing number of pensioners with dementia are denied help to eat and drink, robbed of their privacy and treated “as if they were not there”, as care homes and hospitals struggle to cope, according to a report by the Care Quality Commission.

But David Behan, its chief executive, said finances were not solely responsible because the majority of institutions that were able to provide good care suffered the same austerity measures.

"The thing our report highlights is the gap between that poor care and the same financial climate that exists for the nine out of ten [institutions] providing the good care," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "Therefore it shines a light on where the care is not acceptable."

He said staff shortages were "an issue" in hospitals and care homes but staff were also badly trained and "poorly deployed", treating their patients as a list of "tasks" rather than individuals.

"There is undoubtedly a challenge to maintain quality in the face of the increasing complexity of care that is required and the resources [needed], but our report is showing that some organisations can do that," he said.

In the major report based on 13,000 inspections, the regulator warned that too many nurses and care home staff oversaw “a care culture in which the unacceptable becomes the norm”.

The growing pressures of rising numbers of patients with complicated health conditions were compromising standards of care, it said.

Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, said managers responsible for poor care should be fired.

There must be “no hiding place” for “substandard” care services and promised a greater focus on patients’ experiences in future, he said.

He said: "I think it is totally and utterly unacceptable and I want to commend the CQC for not brushing these problems under the carpet and exposing them.

"I think it is very important to say that this is not the norm in the NHS and the social care system and we have brilliant doctors and nurses who do an excellent job.

"But this is way too high. We have an ageing population and we want to be a civilised society, this is just totally unacceptable."

The watchdog called on managers of nursing homes and hospitals to ensure that patients were treated as individuals and involved in decisions about their own lives.

However, the CQC warned that an ageing population and funding pressures from “reduced economic growth” meant care homes and hospitals faced more “challenging times” ahead.

Charities working for the elderly said the “shocking” report was “a serious indictment” of the treatment older people received.

In its annual State of Care report, the CQC investigated whether the government’s “essential standards” were being met for the quality of care across the NHS, care homes, and dental surgeries in England.

There were “many examples” of care homes and hospitals that provided an “excellent” service to patients.

"But CQC’s inspectors also see examples of providers who struggle to cope and fail to deliver the quality of care that people have a right to expect. We will not leave this poor care unchallenged,” it said.

One in five nursing homes, one in seven hospitals and one in 10 residential care homes denied patients help with “the food and drink they need”, the report said.

“Given that this is so vital to good care – particularly for older people – this is a real concern,” the report said. A similar pattern was seen in NHS hospitals.

One in 10 NHS hospitals inspected during the last year failed to treat patients with dignity and respect, “including an obvious lack of privacy, call bells being out of reach, and staff speaking to patients in a condescending way”, the report said.

Among nursing homes, caring for patients with dementia who require more intensive support, 15 per cent failed to meet basic standards for “respectful and dignified care”.

These failings were often characterised by “care staff talking over the person as if they were not there; having things ‘done’ to them, rather than ‘with’ them; and getting people ready for bed at a time that suits the staff rather than the individual people being cared for”.

The vast majority of nursing homes, care homes and homecare agencies fell short of the minimum standards for giving their staff “proper training, supervision and development”. Many failed to manage residents' medicines properly and keep adequate records.

The CQC said some NHS hospitals have “struggled to make sure they had enough qualified and experienced staff on duty at all times” who were properly supervised and trained.

Wards are running with “high vacancy rates” and “staff being asked to do too many different roles at once”.

Independent hospitals, which have much more predictable workloads, performed much better in treating people with dignity and respect, as 98 per cent met the legal minimum standard.

Janet Morrison, chief executive of the charity Independent Age, said the report was “shocking and unacceptable”.

“It is deeply concerning that the CQC suggests that pressure on care services is increasing the risk of poor or unsafe care,” she said.

Michelle Mitchell, director of the charity Age UK, said ministers must ensure hospitals and care homes receive adequate funding because elderly care has been “stripped to the bone”.

“This report is a serious indictment of the way that older people are cared for in England,” she said.

The Health Secretary, Mr Hunt, said “much more” work would be needed to improve standards of care across England.

“Next year, we will be measuring and publishing the experiences that patients have in hospital,” he said. “Where there are problems we expect the CQC and other regulators to take swift action.”

Mike Farrar, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, urged more hospital staff to blow the whistle on poor quality care on their wards.

“It is extremely worrying that some organisations are still not getting the basics right every time,” he said. “It is every patient's fundamental right to be treated with dignity and respect, and that means more than just personal privacy.”